Hi, I'm Joost

Hi @Joost, welcome! Glad to hear you reinstated a small amount and are gradually stabilizing. Yes, stress and lack of sleep can really ramp up symptoms. If you go to the Symptoms and Self-Care section and click on the Guides tab, you'll find lots of helpful articles and tips. Keep us updated with how you're doing! Catina ❤️

Hi Joost, It's common that uninformed Dr's prescribe big doses of these extremely powerful drugs instead of offering a low dose and only as a last resort. Mirtazapine is actually much more sedating at lower doses of 7.5mg or less, so starting you off on 30mg is less effective and just make it harder to come off. Anyway, you did well to come off so quick, I'm not surprised you have WD symptoms, What does PAWS mean? Have you now been on 3.75mg for the last 24 months to stabilise?

Hi Cosmic, thanks for your support! With PAWS I just meant the protracted withdrawal symptoms - it 's a term I see quite often to describe them. My taper was not normal I guess: I tried tapering from 30mg to 0 in one month (I was completely unaware of what might happen - GP never informed me), then reinstated to 7,5mg, was there for about 4 months and then tapered to 0 (again with GP present - which obviously didn't work) and reinstated at 3.75mg. I have been holding there for about 18 months now. It's getting better with ups and downs, but very frustrated that it's soooooo slow.

I hope it's a different GP you now have. He sounds dreadful. I was also prescribed mirtazapine during a severe stressful experience but only 15mg, I found it so strong, I only ever took 1/4 to 1/2 a tablet. Looking back no alternatives were suggested, just here's some drugs now go away. I tapered down to 0.3 over 3 months without too much trouble. Then I stopped and WD hit me so I'm now back on at 0.2. Are you edging closer to a drop in dose soon?